Louisiana man gets 20 years for stealing $100k from employer

September 11, 2019

HOUMA, La. (AP) — A 48-year-old Louisiana man has pleaded guilty to stealing more than $100,000 from his employer.

The Courier reports Robert Yanos Tipton, of Houma, was scheduled for trial this week but pleaded guilty Tuesday to theft over $25,000. State District Judge Johnny Walker sentenced him to 20 years behind bars.

Following an investigation by the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office, Tipton was arrested in 2017. Tipton had worked for two months as an office manager who handled the finances for Houma-based Michael Hyde Construction. In 2016, Tipton began depositing his payroll checks through a mobile banking application while cashing hard copies of the same checks at multiple check-cashing businesses.

An audit also revealed Tipton forged the owner’s signature on multiple company checks and paid his personal credit card bills using company funds.